HOUSTON - Nelson Murphree Legacy Partners LLC has added 30,000 sf to the company’s 1885 St. James Place project. The building was originally slated to have 13 floors, but now will have 15 floors.

“We redid all of the drawings and made the foundation stronger because we have had so much interest in this building,” said Dennis Murphree, a principal at Nelson Murphree.

The project is now slated to begin construction September 8, with an official groundbreaking of September 15. While no tenants have officially signed on to the spec project, Murphree said he is negotiating with at least four companies.

Current occupancy rates for Class A buildings in the Galleria average 92.4 percent, and current rental rates average $34.97 per sf, according to JLL.